March 28, 2004. Miami Open. Third round. A young Rafa Nadal, at the age of 17, took to the court to face Roger Federer for the first time, who at 22 years old had premiered the condition of number 1 a month and a half before. That day started a rivalry that has lasted over time and for 40 games.
Nadal won that first duel by a double 6-3 in 70 minutes. “I feel very happy because I played one of the best games of my life. Obviously, he hasn’t played his best tennis. That is the reason why I was able to win. If he had reached his maximum level I would have had no choice. But this is what happens in tennis. If a player like me competes at a very, very good level and a top player like Roger doesn’t reach his best game, I have chances of victory. Without a doubt, I feel very, very happy,” Nadal commented in the post-match conference.
SMS and teletext times
Those were other times, where the Internet still hadn’t won the game over the written press, where SMS were the most and even teletext. “Phone collapsed from calls and messages? “I don’t think so, because It’s four in the morning in Spain and everyone is sleeping. Tomorrow the newspapers won’t have the newsbut yes, maybe it’s on the internet and also on teletext… Then, I’ll start receiving calls,” Nadal said.
“I haven’t let him develop his own game. If he can play how he wants, he beats you 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 like it’s been happening this year and it’s never happened before in tennis. From the first point I knew that I had to dictate the exchanges and not let him play his game“Analyzed Nadal, at that time the 34th in the world ranking, in statements recalled by the ATP website.
Federer had words of praise for his opponent: “He doesn’t hit the ball flat and hard. His shot has a lot of spin, that makes the ball bounce very high, and that’s the problem I had today. I tried to avoid it, but I couldn’t. I feel that the game has been played on their terms. You have connected impressive dots. That’s what young people do… I’ve heard a lot about him and I’ve seen some of his games. I think what happened today is not a big surprise to anyone“.
The best of Federer-Nadal 2008: the two points that reflect Rafa’s dominance in the first set
“There will always be tennis players younger than one. We all remember that when we were 17 years old and we already felt that we were good players. I think he is enjoying his tennis and that is exactly what he should do. We’ll see how strong it will be in two years. But the beginning of his career has been incredible”, predicted Federer.
Nadal – Federer: first duel in a final
A year later they met again this time with a title at stake. Their second duel occurred in the final of the Miami Open. That time it was Federer who won 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1. He still remembers that game in which both exchanged 27 blows and that ended up decanting the Balearic in his favor with a parallel backhand.
The 27-stroke exchange between Nadal and Federer in the 2005 Miami final
The first heads-up match at a grand slam was their third meeting. It happened in 2005 at Roland Garros. Nadal beat Federer in the semifinals 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.It was the previous step to win his first title on clay in Paris.
Of the 40 duels they have starred in, 24 fell on Nadal’s side and 16 for Federer. In Grand Slam, the Balearic Islands won 10 times, including four finals at Roland Garros (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011), one at Wimbledon (2008) and one at the Australian Open (2009).
The best of Federer-Nadal 2008: the point that gave Nadal the title
That duel in the final of the quintessential grass tournament has remained one of the best in the history of tennis. Nadal won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8) and 9-7 in 4 hours and 48 minutes of play. “I had to play with my foot asleep for several games. Without anesthesia he couldn’t play because he couldn’t put his foot down, but he had a duration and the stoppages due to the rain complicated everything“, I recognized Nadal a month later.
It will also remain for the memory 2017 Australian Open final. Roger Federer became the second longest-serving ‘Grand Slam’ champion that day after defeating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6 and 6-3, in 3 hours and 37 minutes. The Swiss comes back from 1-3 in the playoff set and wins five games in a row.
Of his 19 Masters 1,000 duels, 12 were in finals including his only five-hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters with Nadal winning in five sets by 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6 and 7-6(5) after saving two match points.
Nadal’s spectacular point to win the first set to Federer
Three years ago the last duel between the two tennis players. It happened in the Wimbledon semi-finals.. Federer won 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and took revenge for the recent semi-final at Roland Garros that did fall on Nadal’s side.
